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Talking About Religion

How Highly Religious Youth and Parents Discuss Their Faith

Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, david_dollahite{at}byu.edu

Jennifer Y. Thatcher

Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

This study builds on previous research regarding parent-child religious conversations to explore the transactional processes of these conversations. It employs qualitative analyses of interviews with highly religious parents and adolescents representing the Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) from New England and Northern California. Variations in conversational processes are summarized in a conceptual model. Findings suggest that when parent-adolescent religious conversations are youth centered, the emotional experience is more positive for parents and adolescents than when they are parent centered. Parents from both traditional and progressive faith communities reported that they understood the value of transactional conversation processes over a more hierarchical, preachy, or parent-centered approach.

Key Words: adolescent • religiosity • religious conversations • qualitative research • Christian • Jewish • Muslim

Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 23, No. 5, 611-641 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0743558408322141


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